Dragons' meeting
by Danny vs A Month
Summary: Alduin has grown tired of raising dragons only to have the Dragonborn slay them the moment he meets them. now, he has assembled an army of the best he could find. Will the Dragonborn be able to handle it? More importantly, will he be able to protect the people he loves? read to find out.DragonbornXKarliah
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Skyrim or any of the characters. My Dragonborn is named Gabriel.

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Loss of Life

Gabriel craned his neck back and looked at Lydia. She was sitting in her usual chair in front of the fire trying to read a book but every couple of seconds she would glance at him. She did again and smirked returning her eyes to her book and keeping them there. For the past half hour, Gabriel had been using Magicka to make a tiny version of himself and Lydia fight a tiny version of Alduin in an endless battle in which no one injured anyone. The tiny Lydia and Gabriel were shooting arrows poorly at Alduin who dodged them making them vanish just past in into tiny wisps of smoke. Then Alduin would breath fire at them and they would avoid it and it would turn to smoke just before hitting the table. Every so often, either a Draugr Death Overlord or a Falmer Shadowmaster would show up and be swiftly either killed by Lydia or Gabriel or eaten by Alduin for power, which was typically wasted since he couldn't hurt them anyway.

Lydia and Gabriel had been married since a week after Gabriel had learned that he was the Dragonborn almost two years ago. before that he and Aela had been together for a few months until she left him for Farkas. Lydia was happy she left him because otherwise he'd be taken rather than with her. Everything she had was from him. Her Glass Sword that was enchanted with Frost Damage and Fiery Soul Trap, her Ebony Mail that he had won from a Daedra, her Orcish Gauntlets and Boots that he had crafted himself, her wedding ring that he had enchanted with a Ward Enchantment that made it nearly impossible to harm her without something at least as strong as a troll or Ebony weapons, and a necklace that haled her almost instantly if she was wounded by chance. She had asked why he hadn't given her a helmet but be had said that he wanted to be able to see her face.

He wore Nightingale armor, boots, and gloves all having been enchanted extra to protect him, heal him, and regenerate his Magicka, his wedding ring that helped regenerate his Magicka as well as protect him the same way Lydia's wedding ring did, and Morokei. He had his Nightingale Blade strapped to his side where Dawnbreaker once hung, and a Nightingale Bow slung across his back. Both were gifts from Karliah, a fellow Nightingale that had helped him stop a psychopath and had saved his life at least twice if not more.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked looking at Lydia again.

"No," Lydia said setting the book down with a ribbon in it to hold her place. "That book is depressing."

"What book is it?" Gabriel asked.

"Yours," Lydia said. "Some random person decided to track your stories and write them down. Apparently, you sleep with any and every girl you meet except me."

"And you believe that?" Gabriel asked.

"Of course not," Lydia said. "I know you're faithful."

"What so depressing about it?" Gabriel asked.

"My character plays the sappy, pathetic fangirl that is madly in love with you but doesn't have the guts or the brains to do anything but stare at you all the time," Lydia said. "Apparently, Hevnoraak nearly killed me because I was daydreaming about making out with you."

"They do know _you_ saved _me _from him, right?" Gabriel asked and earned a shrug.

Just then, they heard the distinct roar of a dragon and both grabbed their weapons running outside and throwing their armor on over their clothes on the way. By the time they got outside, three buildings were burning and several hundred Winterhold Guards were standing in the streets and on the roofs of building firing every kind of arrow except Daedric and Falmer at the dragon. The problem was, there wasn't one. There were exactly fifty nine, one of which was a massive black dragon with massive spikes all over its body and glowing yellow and blue eyes. The rest were all Blood Dragons or Elder Dragons.

_We...are so...fucked,_ Gabriel thought staring at Alduin.

"RUN!" Lydia screamed knowing exactly what he was thinking.

The soldiers all looked at them for a moment seconds before Alduin sent a single fire shout at the ground below himself and sent a wall of flame shooting in all directions. It vaporized anything it hit and sent everyone present scrambling away from it, stampeding over anyone unfortunate enough to trip. Lydia and Gabriel were running along with them but they had a specific place they were going. The others would die. There was no getting around that. They had learned that when an Elder Dragon had broken into their safe house in Whiterun and killed the entire population of Whiterun in almost a minute. The Companions had all survived due to being at Ysgramor's Tomb to mourn him on the day of his death. Aside from them, everyone was killed.

Gabriel and Lydia ducked into their safe house and then sprinted to the basement that was basically a solid Ebony box with a hatch in the top. After a moment, they heard Alduin shout again then it was silent.

"I can't believe we just left them," Lydia said.

"We both know they would have just-"

They both fell silent as they heard wings beating slowly above them. It was so loud it couldn't be one pair but it was perfectly synchronized making Gabriel wonder if it really was more than one. Then, there was a crash, a loud splintering sound, and finally a triumphant roar as a massive splintering and ripping sound erupted around them before a thunderous crash went off. Then something began screeching and the entire top half of the safe house was wrenched skyward by an Elder Dragon leaving the rest behind. Lydia and Gabriel stood rooted to the spot staring up at the swarm of now over two hundred Blood and Elder Dragons hovering above them, wings beating in too perfect synchronization to be natural.

Then, Gabriel heard a dragon's short roar and a strangled gurgle. He looked toward Lydia but she was gone. It seemed as though everything slowed to a tenth of its normal speed. He heard himself calling for her, knew she didn't answer, and then saw something flash past his head.

He turned toward it and his heart sank. Before him, was a broken, bloody, and unmoving Lydia. She had bite marks covering most of her torso and ruining the Ebony Mail and she had mild burn marks covering her head. He looked up and saw Alduin standing on the top of the destroyed shelter with fresh blood running down his jaws and a wicked grin on his face.

"Now, you die, Dovahkiin," Alduin said leaping back up to hover with the others.

Just as they all opened their mouths to incinerate him, another dragon roared as a grey dragon rivaling Alduin in size roared and crashed into Alduin loudly instantly beginning to tear into his flesh.

"Flee Dovahkiin," Paarthurnax said. "Flee! We will hold them."

Just then, four voices all Shouted something at once and a massive dragon made of wind crashed into the swarm and exploded sending them all flying. Then, the voices Shouted again and storm clouds matching Alduin's scales formed over head as meteors, lightning, and rain began to pour out of the sky hitting and killing dragons right and left while the rain drenched everything and reduced everything's vision to barely fifty feet. Gabriel stood rooted to the spot watching the sky as rain stung his face and roars went off above him. Then, Fireballs, Ice Spikes, and Lightning Bolts began shooting up from the general direction of the college and Gabriel understood that even the College of Winterhold, that could easily have survived, was trying to give him a chance to escape, but still he couldn't make himself move.

"Gabriel!" a familiar, desperate, yet even voice shouted from beside him. "We have to move! Come on!"

Gabriel looked and saw Karliah trying, and slowly succeeding, to pull him away from Lydia. Suddenly his instincts, and a tiny bit of sense, kicked in and he wrenched his arm free of Karliah's grip and returned to Lydia, beginning to drag her toward the hole that Karliah had somehow managed to cut in the floor from an underground tunnel. Karliah saw what he was doing and put her hand on his, intending to stop him.

"I CAN STILL SAVE HER!" Gabriel shouted over the roar of a very enraged dragon.

Karliah saw that he was desperate, confused, and, above all, determined to protect Lydia, even though she was already dead. She gave him a sympathetic look remembering having the same feelings when learning about Gallus's death.

"Then let me carry her and you keep us both safe," Karliah said.

Gabriel nodded and Karliah picked up Lydia, struggling slightly under the weight of Lydia's mangled armor. They moved to the hole and dropped through seconds before an Elder Dragon landed on he top of the wall and looked around for them. Gabriel used Throw Voice to draw the Dragon away then he and Karliah rushed through the under ground tunnel until they reached a massive cavern where Karliah stopped to rest. Gabriel used Aura Whisper to see how many of the others had lived and sa that Alduin was alive, as were one hundred Elder Dragons, one hundred Blood Dragons, and Paarthurnax, which Alduin quickly fixed.

"They're all gone," Gabriel said. "Now what do we do"

"We keep moving," Karliah said. "And we figure out why they were all together."

"Alduin," Gabriel said simply. "Give me a minute to wake Lydia up."

"Wake her up?" Karliah asked. "Gabriel, she's dead."

"No," Gabriel said staring at the pool of blood around Lydia but not moving to stop it. "I can save her."

"I'm sorry Gabriel," Karliah said. "You can't. she's gone. We have to move. We have to leave her."

"No," Gabriel said. "I can-"

Karliah slapped him across the face and he simply stared at her.

"She is gone Gabriel," Karliah said forcefully, yet not unkindly. "We have to move and you have to let her go!"

Gabriel opened his mouth to speak but shut it again and knelt beside Lydia. He removed her necklace and ring then wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and closed her eyes. Then, he stood and turned to face Karliah.

"I'm ready," Gabriel said and Karliah nodded.

They walked quickly through the cavern and into a tunnel on the far side then into a second one that had about ten Falmer Shadowmasters wakng around. They hid silently and Gabriel tossed Karliah the bow she had given him then summoned a Bound Bow for himself. They both stood and began shooting and within seconds all of the Falmer were dead. Karlah held the bow out but Gabriel shook his head.

"It belongs to you," Gabriel said. "As does this."

He held out the sword and Karliah accepted it silently struggling not to cry at the memories both weeapons brought to her. The sord had been Gallus's and the bow had been a gift from him. She opened her mouth to thank Gabriel but just as she did, an Elder Dragon crashed through the roof of the cavern and landed in the center of the room. Both of its wings were broken and it was severely wounded from any number of spells, arrows, and the Greybeards' Storm Call but e was clearly still able to fight as he sent a stream of fire at them. Gabriel shoved Karliah out of the way then held out his hand and a sphere of magic appeared around him blocking the fire.

"Run!" Gabriel said summoning a Bound Battleaxe and leaping off of the small cliff they were on at the dragon.

Karliah stood ad shot a single poison-tipped arrow into the dragon's mouth just before it could Shout at Gabriel then Gabriel landed on its snout and swung his Battleaxe into the dragon's face. the dragon roared in pain but it was cut short when Gabiel plated the Battleaxe in the dragon's throat, killing it and allowing the axe to vanish. Then he dropped to the ground as the dragon began to disintegrae and its soul was absorbed by him. Karliah watched in amasement before walking over.

"You're the Dragonborn," Karliah said. "That explains why they were after you and how you can shout."

"Sorry I never told you," Gabriel said.

"It's alright," Karliah said. "Now we need to move."

Gabriel nodded and they sprinted the rest of the way out of the tunnel and then made their way to Riften to hide for a short while. On the way, Gabriel sent a Flame Atronach to summon any and all remaining Blades and Companions to Riften. It wasn't going to end well anyway, but they could definitely use the help.

END

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	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Skyrim or any of the characters. I changed what happened when Mercer went bad. Fair warning, it's not a pleasant thought.

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Truth

Gabriel sat in the chair in the darkest corner of the room, Karliah sat beside him and Brynjolf sat across from them.

"So you're the Dragonborn?" Brynjolf asked.

"Yes," Gabriel said. "I can absorb dragon souls and learn to shout through them. At the same time, Alduin will stop at nothing to kill me because I'm trying to kill him."

"Can you, Lad?" Brynjolf asked.

"I really don't know," Gabriel said. "Maybe someday. for now, I have nothing."

"Not quite," Karliah said. "You still have me."

"And me, Lad," Brynjolf said. "And the rest of the Thieves Guild, although, I don't know what help we'll be against dragons."

"More than you think," Gabriel said. "If you're good with a bow, at any rate."

"Sir," Rune said walking over. "The Companions Rep. is here."

"Companions Rep.?" Gabriel asked. "I'm the fucking Harbinger asking for help and they send a representative?"

"Actually," Aela said walking in, "They sent me because everyone else is either dead or still recovering from a troll attack. Farkas stayed to keep them alive."

"I see," Gabriel said rubbing his temples. "Are the Blades here yet?"

"Yes," Delphine said walking in with three soldiers all dressed in Blades Armor with Blades Swords at their hips.

One was a woman and two were men and Gabriel knew all three. The woman was Ria, a former Companion. She had become a Blade because if she hadn't left Whiterun, the guards would have executed her for several murders that were actually the work of the Dark Brotherhood. Gabriel sent her to Delphine to protect her and unwittingly also saved her from the destruction of Whiterun. The two men were Kharjo and Ghorbash both of which asked to join as a chance to prove they had enough sense to fight for something important.

"I heard about Paarthurnax," Delphine said. "I'd say that I'm sorry but I'd rather not lie."

"He saved my life," Gabriel said.

"And I am very thankful for that," Delphine said. "But he was a dragon and deserved to be killed."

"Screw you," Gabriel said.

"Enough!" Karliah said. "Can we focus on the point of this meeting?"

"You're right," Gabriel said. "Alduin needs to die, now. He has thousands of dragons under his command and they will destroy everything if not stopped."

"We'll handle it," Delphine said.

"He wiped out Winterhold with one shout," Gabriel said. "If you go, he will tear you apart."

"We'll see," Delphine said.

"I'm not going," Ria said. "I'm rejoining the Companions. I'm not suicidal."

"Good," Gabriel said. "What about you two?"

"We are going," Kharjo said. "Goodbye."

And with that, the three of them left. Gabriel rested his head on his hand and looked up at Aela.

"Who's left?" Gabriel asked.

"Me, Ria, Farkas, Vilkas, and Njada," Aela said.

"Njada's alive?" Ria asked.

"Yes," Aela said.

Ria smiled slightly but quickly hid her relief.

"Get them here," Gabriel said. "I don't care how but get them here alive."

Aela nodded and she and Ria both left and Gabriel grinned.

"I think the Lass is a bit hot for Njada," Brynjolf said.

"I think so," Gabriel said and looked over at Karliah to see her struggling to stay awake. "How long have you been up?"

"Only a couple days," Karliah said. "We Dunmer can stay awake for weeks on end."

"Most Dunmer don't have to fight an Elder Dragon or outrun thousands of them," Gabriel said. "Get some sleep. We're not doing anything until the Companions get back anyway."

"Come on Lass," Brynjolf said. "Your old room's still free. I took the liberty of kicking the last tenant out when you came back."

"Who was it?" Gabriel asked.

"Mercer," Brynjolf said.

"I see," Karliah said smiling. "Guess I should check for traps then."

Brynjolf laughed and Karliah joined him, albeit quite a bit more reservedly. Gabriel smirked but his mind was filled with thoughts of Lydia that had finally slipped through the mental wall he had put up to keep himself from being incapable of focusing on escaping Alduin. Brynjolf led Karliah to her room where there were two beds, one a large, gold-inlaid double bed with silk and other fine materials. The other was a simple one person bed set in the corner.

"What's the second bed for?" Karliah asked.

"I figured that after what you've gone through, Gabriel could use some privacy tonight," Brynjolf said. "Unfortunately we didn't have any other rooms. I hope you don't mind."

"It's alright," Karliah said. "I agree. Is it alright with you?"

"What?" Gabriel asked coming back to his senses.

"You're going to be sharing a room with me tonight," Karliah said. "You can pick which bed you want."

Gabriel nodded then lay on the smaller bed not bothering to try to take his armor off.

"Goodnight," Brynjolf said earning no answer from Gabriel.

"Goodnight Brynjolf," Karliah said. "And thank you."

Brynjolf nodded then turned and left closing the door after him. Karliah walked over to Gabriel and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You shouldn't sleep in your armor," Karliah said. "Here, let me help."

Gabriel groaned an unintelligible protest but Karliah pulled him up anyway and pulled Morokei off followed by Gabriel's boots and gauntlets. Finally, Gabriel turned so that she could undo the straps on his back holding his armor on. Once untied, he pulled the armor over his head leaving only his pants on then turned to help Karliah. She took off her own hood, mask, gloves, and boots, then allowed Gabriel to undo the straps for her. When he was done, she stood and walked over to her bed where she had laid out her bed clothes.

Gabriel lay down on his bed pulling the covers up to his neck and facing away from Karliah to give her some privacy. When she was done changing, she slipped under her own covers and looked at the man laying in Gallus's old bed. There was so much about him that reminded her of him. They even had the same one handed fighting style, even though Gabriel used Bound Weapons. She cast a Muffle spell on the room itself making the room completely sound proof. Then, she looked back at Gabriel.

"Goodnight," Karliah said.

"Goodnight," Gabriel said. "Sleep well."

Karliah smiled. Gallus used to say that too, although, a lot of people probably did.

"You too," Karliah said.

She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to dreams of her lost love while Gabriel silently rolled onto his back struggling to find sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, Lydia would appear behind them, broken and bleeding and begging for him to save her. When he finally did drift off, his dream was the same but this time Lydia was demanding him to explain why he left her to die. Eventually he forced himself awake and lay in the dark waiting for morning.

"No," Karliah said quietly. "Please no...Gallus...no...don't hurt him...Mercer...please...no..."

Gabriel began to get up but just before his foot hit the ground, he froze. Nocturnal was floating in the air halfway between the two beds. She held her finger to her lips and Gabriel nodded. She silently landed on the floor then turned toward Karliah.

"Pour girl," Nocturnal said. "Years after Gallus's death and still she cannot forget. Do you know what Mercer did? Did she tell you the full story?"

"He killed Gallus and tried to kill her but she escaped," Gabriel said.

"Is that what she said?" Nocturnal asked. "No, Mortal. Mercer captured Gallus then, when Karliah arrived, he used Gallus to keep Karliah from attempting to kill him. He used Gallus as leverage to force Karliah to do what he wanted. Do you know what that is?"

"No," Gabriel said. "And I don't want to. No offense but I don't think it's your place to say."

"True," Nocturnal said. "Ask Karliah about it. She needs to talk about it and she is unable to let it go while trying to keep it hidden and suppressed. I know I could simply order you, but in this case, I am asking you, get her to confide in you Mercer's ultimate crime. Help Karliah move past it. She needs to move on but she needs help. I implore you, Mortal. Lend what aid you can to Karliah."

Gabriel nodded and Nocturnal was gone again.

"No...Mercer...no...please..." Karliah moaned beginning to toss and turn. "Please...don't...not him...please...not him..."

Gabriel stood just as Karliah screamed sitting bolt upright and looking around. Gabriel hurried over and she instantly reached for the Ebony Dagger on the end table beside her. Gabriel caught her hand and she began beating the other off his chest trying to get free but he held her against him wondering what was taking the others so long to see why she had screamed.

"Sshh, sshh," Gabriel said lightly stroking her hair comfortingly. "It's alright. It's just me. It was just a dream. You're alright."

Karliah stopped fighting and dissolved into sobs against his chest while he held her gently, sitting on the bed and pulling her into his lap. She sobbed into his shoulder almost silently for a while before finally stopping but not trying to move.

"The others didn't come because I put a Muffle spell on the room," Karliah said knowing he was curios.

"I see," Gabriel said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Karliah said before sighing. "I was dreaming about the day Gallus died. Mercer didn't only kill Gallus because he was the only one Mercer caught. He let me live because he knew it would be a worse torture than killing me."

"Why?" Gabriel asked.

"Because of what he did," Karliah said.

"You mean killing Gallus?" Gabriel asked debating telling what Nocturnal said.

"Not exactly," Karliah said. "I'm sorry, I can't talk about it now."

"I think you should," Gabriel said. "And I'm not the only one. Nocturnal visited me, I'm not sure if it was a dream or not but she said she was worried about you and wanted me to get you to talk about something Mercer did. She said he captured Gallus and used him to force you to do something but didn't say what."

"She's right," Karliah said. "Mercer lured Gallus into a trap and captured him. Then when I tried to save Gallus, he captured me as well. He threatened to kill Gallus if I didn't..."

After a moment, Gabriel began stroking Karliah's hair again.

"It's alright," Gabriel said. "You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to."

"No," Karliah said. "It's alright. I need to talk to someone about it."

She took a shuddering breath closing her eyes and losing herself to the familiar feeling of someone stroking her hair. God she missed it. Like so many other things, Gallus had been the last.

"When I arrived, Mercer had Gallus at sword-point," Karliah said. "I moved to kill him but he cut Gallus on the arm with the sword he wielded that absorbed health. Gallus almost collapsed from that simple scratch so, I froze. Mercer easily stripped me of my weapons then chained Gallus to the wall over a spike trap with the lever beside Mercer. Then...Mercer...he told me that he would spare Gallus if I...if I let him use my body for his own pleasure."

She stopped and clamped her mouth shut struggling not to sob again and Gabriel continued to stroke her hair and then began to rock gently.

"I couldn't refuse," Karliah continued eventually. "I couldn't lose Gallus. I did the only thing I could. I let Mercer do what he wanted. And he did, for several hours. Finally he stopped and left me on the floor sobbing and broken. Then...he killed Gallus anyway and left leaving my clothes and weapons behind."

Finally she began to sob again and Gabriel held her against him.

"I'm sorry," Gabriel said. "I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like, what it must still be like to remember. I'm so sorry that it happened."

"It's alright," Karliah said. "It wasn't your fault and Mercer's dead either way. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Yes it does," Gabriel said. "It will always matter. At the very least for as long as it's this painful for you to think about."

Karliah remained silent, tears continuing to slide silently down her face. Gabriel gently wiped them away before continuing to stroke her hair lightly.

"Thank you for telling me," Gabriel said. "If you want, I can revive Mercer's corpse so that you can kill him."

"That's okay," Karliah said smiling. "Thanks anyway. Thank you for listening. I needed to get that off my chest."

"I would assume so," Gabriel said. "I can see why you hid it though."

"Karliah, Gabriel!" Brynjolf said urgently bursting into the room. "We've got trouble."

He turned and left and Gabriel quickly pulled his armor on then left to give Karliah the privacy to change also. They met Brynjolf just outside the city with the rest of the Thieves Guild and instantly saw the problem.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Skyrim or any of the characters. So I changed his fate, sue me. Not really.

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Dark Brotherhood vs Thieves Guild

Gabriel stepped out of the gate and saw the Thieves Guild in its entirety standing in a line in front of Riften in broad daylight. He stood beside Brynjolf and Karliah soon stood at his other side, Nightingale Blade in hand. About three hundred feet in front of them stood all eight of the Dark Brotherhood members along with Mercer Frey who stood proudly beside Astrid, the leader. Mercer's armor was completely black and he looked off without his old sword but he looked perfectly at ease with two Ebony Swords.

"Like them?" Mercer asked. "Fiery Soul Trap. I think you'll like the effect. Of course, Karliah is the one that will taste it first."

"I don't think so," Gabriel said. "You're mine. How did you even survive?"

"Same way you did," Mercer said. "Just a bit slower."

"Impressive," Gabriel said. "Alright, let's go."

"I think not," Astrid said stepping forward and drawing a pair of Daedric Daggers. "You're all mine handsome. Gallus's bitch is Mercer's."

"Don't worry, Lad," Brynjolf said. "I'll handle Mercer."

"Enough of this," Gabriel said summoning a pair of Dremora Lords.

Both drew their greatswords and charged into the ranks of the Dark Brotherhood initiating the impending bloodbath. The Thieves Guild charged as well drawing whatever weapon they had but the Dremora were already dead. Gabriel summoned his Bound Sword shredding two assassins then summoning a Dremora Lord who killed one before a werewolf grabbed him and ripping him in half. The werewolf smashed Gabriel back into Karliah and both scrambled to their feet just as the werewolf plowed into the Thieves Guild shredding them easily. Finally Brynjolf was the only one left aside from them and he retreated to stand beside them. There was the werewolf, Astrid, Mercer, and a Dunmer.

"Who wants what?" Gabriel asked.

"I call the Dunmer," Brynjolf said. "She's the weakest."

"I'll take Astrid," Karliah said. "What are we going to do about the werewolf?"

"I'll handle him and Mercer," Gabriel said. "Whatever you see, and whatever happens, just know that you're not going to have to worry about me, Mercer, or the werewolf."

"What?" Brynjolf asked.

Gabriel doubled over groaning as his body began to swell. He quickly pulled his armor off leaving his pants and then groaned, which quickly turned into a feral growl. Then, his skin began to tear and rip. His finger nails grew into long sharp claws and his eyes fell out being replaced by ones that reflected the sun light and had black sclera and yellow irises.

"Kill him!" Mercer shouted.

The werewolf sprinted forward but just as he moved to slash Gabriel, Gabriel swung his claws and slashed him across the chest then dropped to his back and kicked him backward into Mercer. As he stood, his flesh and pants fell away leaving him in his full werewolf form. He roared as loudly as any dragon then charged toward the other werewolf and Mercer. Mercer stepped forward but Gabriel easily batted him away then tackled the werewolf.

Astrid charged at Karliah and Karliah drew Gallus's sword and blocked a slash from Astrid then kicked her back and charged. At the same time, the Dunmer swung at Brynjolf but he blocked it then stabbed her. Then he turned just as Astrid slashed Karliah's stomach then Karliah removed her head. Brynjolf ran over to her and they looked sideways toward Gabriel.

Gabriel kicked the werewolf skyward and he crashed down on his back then rolled to his feet and roared at Gabriel. Gabriel howled and several wolves dashed out of the trees and leapt on the werewolf. He pulled one off and threw it then slashed a second and bit another. Then he roared and killed all of the wolves quickly. Gabriel tackled the werewolf again biting and clawing at him before suddenly turning back into himself wearing nothing but his underpants. He summoned his Bound Sword and drove it through the werewolf's head then stood and turned just as Mercer's swords raked across his chest.

Gabriel threw himself backward and stood and felt his chest begin to burn before flames shot across his body burning him. He stumbled back and fell, the flames going out before he landed. His chest still burned and Mercer grinned holding his swords up.

"Now you die freak," Mercer said. "You should have kept your sword."

Suddenly an arrow buried itself in his shoulder and he screamed in a mixture of surprise and pain. He dropped his swords and fell to the ground as Karliah walked over.

"You really should have paid better attention," Karliah said. "You killed Gallus, you raped me, you tried to kill him, and now, you will pay. The poison on that arrow will cause you more pain than you can possibly imagine. Then, when you are begging for death, it will get worse. And it will get worse and worse until your brain shuts down. Then you will die."

Mercer began to shake and scream silently, unable to make a sound. Finally he looked up at Karliah struggling to speak.

"P...please," Mercer managed to say.

"No Mercer," Karliah said. "We are far beyond begging. We were beyond begging from the moment you threatened Gallus. Now...now you will finally get what you deserve."

Mercer began to convulse violently as blood and foam began to flow out of his mouth. His eyes rolled back into his head and then finally he fell still. Karliah walked forward and drove Gallus's sword into his head then pulled it out and wiped the blood on Mercer's armor.

"It's finally over," Karliah said. "Are you okay?"

Gabriel nodded pushing himself up as the pain in his chest finally faded and he walked back to his armor. In his pack he had a spare pair of pants and pulled them on then put his armor on. He also burned his old flesh and turned back to the others.

"Anything else we should know about you, Lad?" Brynjolf asked.

"I'll let you know," Gabriel said. "For now, we need to find new recruits."

"I guess so," Brynjolf said. "We haven't even begun to fight the dragons yet and already we've lost almost all of our soldiers."

"Yeah," Gabriel said. "We're fucked. Come on, we're going for a hike. We have two orders to build back up and ony one place has the soldiers we need."

"Where?" Brynjolf asked.

"Long story," Gabriel said. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you."

"What then?" Brynjolf asked.

"I have to go alone," Gabriel said. "Although, it will take me a while to get back. It's usually guarded by a dragon or two as well as a couple Dremora Lords."

"You're not going alone," Karliah said. "I'm going with you. I don't care if it's supposed to be a secret. I'm not letting you risk your life."

"Fine," Gabriel said. "Let's go."

THE END

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	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Skyrim or any of the characters except the ones introduced in this chapter. I own the cave Daniel and Karliah go to. The most mportant of the new recruits will be introduced next chapter.

* * *

Recruits

Daniel ducked under the branch of a tree and stopped. Two Blood Dragons and an Elder Dragon were sleeping a few meters ahead of them but the real problem was the one that wasn't. The one that was staring directly at Gabriel. A Revered Dragon.

"Damn," Gabriel said not bothering to be quiet at the same time as summoning two Dremora Lords and his bound bow. "Karliah, run."

"No," Karliah said.

"Trust me," Gabriel said grinning. "You don't want to be here. You can come back once the storm clears in an hour."

"But," Karliah said.

"Just go!" Gabriel said patience at an end as the Revered Dragon began flapping his wings and beginning to rise.

Karliah turned and ran as Gabriel used his Storm Call shout. Lightning began to strike all around him hitting the Dragons harder than anything else. Karliah ran as fast as she could to outrun the storm but inevitably, a bolt of lightning flashed toward her. Just as it neared her, a sword flew over her and the lightning curved hitting it and then shooting out of the tip and into a tree blowing it to pieces. After a couple seconds a second bolt shot at her but an arrow flew past with the same effect.

Gabriel dodged sideways out of the path of a fire shout then launched an arrow into one of the Blood Dragons' eyes making it crash to the ground in front of a Dremora Lord who swiftly planted his sword in its head before disappearing, having finished an enemy worthy of his summoning. The other Blood Dragon landed behind the other Dremora Lord and picked him up crushing him just as Gabriel summoned another on the Dragon's back where it beheaded him, both Dremora disappearing. Suddenly the Revered Dragon shouted something skyward and Gabriel's Storm Call was cancelled making the storm dissipate instantly.

"Oh shit," Gabriel said as both remaining dragons leapt at him.

He leapt sideways barely managing to avoid getting shredded by the Revered Dragon then stood summoning his Bound Battleaxe and swallowing the fear growing inside him.

"I knew I should have brought Aela," Gabriel said. "She always was better at fighting dragons than I gave her credit for."

The Elder Dragon roared and sent a massive ball of ice at him. He swung his battleaxe smashing the ball then sent a fire shout at the Elder Dragon but the Revered Dragon smashed the fire ball out of existence with his tail. Just as the Revered Dragon opened his mouth, a Daedric Arrow embedded itself between two of its teeth making it roar in pain whipping its head around to look at the new attacker.

Gabriel, not particularly caring who it was at the moment, charged at the Revered Dragon but didn't get far before the Elder Dragon's tail crashed down in front of him.

"Damn it," Gabriel said doing a backward handspring away from the tail then looking toward his helper only to see Karliah struggling to avoid the Revered Dragon's gaping maw of a mouth. "God Damn her! **Tiid Klo Ul!**"

The two dragons and Karliah all slowed until they were barely moving and Gabriel slowed to half his normal speed but double theirs. There still wasn't enough time for Gabriel to simply run to Karliah's side. And she desperately needed him. He could see that she had stumbled and fallen and now the Revered Dragon was less than a meter away from slamming his jaws closed on her body and killing her. Gabriel did what he had been warned never to do. He shouted again.

"**Wuld Nah Kest!**" Gabriel shouted blurring to Karliah's side and sending massive chunks of the ground shooting after him in slow motion.

When he reached Karliah, he shoved her sending her flying out of the way at his speed then he summoned his Bound Battleaxe and spun planting it in the side of the Revered Dragon's face just as the side effects of using two shouts at once kicked in. Time returned to normal and he collapsed narrowly missing the Dragon's bite before it reacted to having an axe in its face. The moment he hit the ground, he coughed and blood sprayed onto the dragon head hovering over him.

"Gabriel!" Karliah screamed pushing herself up just in time to duck under the Elder Dragon's tail.

She sprinted toward Gabriel firing arrows into the Revered Dragon's head the entire way. When she arrived, the dragon flew into the air landing beside the Elder Dragon, both turning toward Karliah and glaring.

"Gabriel!" Karliah said kneeling over him. "Wake up!"

Gabriel groaned and sat up sending a pair of Dremora Lords then casting Close Wounds to get himself moving again. once on his feet he summoned his Bound Bow and he and Karliah aimed at the dragons.

"I call the Revered Dragon," Gabriel said.

"Deal," Karliah said.

The dragons blasted the Dremora, killing both just as Gabriel and Karliah opened fire making both of the dragon's heads look like pin cushions. The Elder Dragon eventually collapsed beginning to dissolve but the Revered Dragon shook his head then roared. Gabriel looked at Karliah then shot a single arrow into the Revered Dragon's eye. The moment it roared, Gabriel and Karliah launched arrow after arrow down its throat. Then Gabriel let his bow disappear and turned to Karliah.

"Didn't I say to leave?" Gabriel asked. "Thank you. I didn't anticipate a Revered Dragon."

"You're welcome," Karliah said. "Now, where are those Dremora Lords?"

"Here," a distorted voice said behind them. "Welcome back My Lord."

"Thank you," Gabriel said. "Please take us to them."

The Dremora turned and walked to the wall of a cliff and shoved a boulder out from in front of a tunnel where a second Dremora stood waiting. The two Dremora led them through a maze of tunnels to a massive cavern with around twenty people in it. They were all Imperials with the exception of an Orc sitting at a forge in the back.

"Alright," Gabriel said loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "Separate into the groups I assigned you too before."

The people all separated into two groups, one with all of them sporting bows, light armor, and knives, the other group having heavy armor of all kinds except Daedric, and an assortment of weapons.

"You will join the Companions," Gabriel said pointing at the group with heavy armor. "And you all will join the Thieves Guild. "If anyone doesn't like their position, they must fight me for the right to join the other group. Orc, you will be the Companions' new blacksmith. do _not_ fail. All of you will follow us to Riften. Any questions?"

No one spoke up so Gabriel nodded then walked outside then began running back toward Riften for lack of having all the time in the world to get there.

THE END

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